


Mr. Big Eyes, Soulful Voice

by magsforya



Category: Glee RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe, First Meetings, Fluff and Humor, M/M, Meet-Cute, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-09
Updated: 2015-08-09
Packaged: 2018-04-13 19:54:42
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,014
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4535241
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/magsforya/pseuds/magsforya
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Based on <a href="http://danger-days-of-our-lives.tumblr.com/post/126146422089/likehemmins-imagine-that-youve-been-stood-up">this</a> post. While out to dinner one night, Chris sees a guy sitting alone at a table, clearly being stood up. Feeling incredibly bad for him, Chris decides to help out.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Mr. Big Eyes, Soulful Voice

**Author's Note:**

> Totally unbetaed. I saw that post and immediately just had to write it out!
> 
> Rebloggable on [Tumblr](http://magsforya.tumblr.com/post/126262751659/mr-big-eyes-soulful-voice)

                “I have to do something,” Chris whispers harshly from the back corner of the restaurant.

                “Then buy him a drink or something,” Ashley replies, leaning closer.

                Chris isn’t paying her much attention, eyes still focused on the guy sitting alone at the table near the front.

                “Chris,” Ashley sighs, leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms.

                “Shut up,” Chris responds. He just feels so _bad_ for this guy.

                Ashley goes back to eating the appetizer they ordered to share, but Chris still pays attention to the scene in front of him.

                “I swear he’ll be here,” the guy sitting alone says to the waitress standing right in front of him.

                It’s been going on like this for twenty minutes. Apparently Mr. Big Eyes, Soulful Voice is being stood up on a date, but refuses to believe it. He’s been checking his phone incessantly, sending out what is probably quite a few frantic text messages, and probably receiving nothing in return.

                At about the ten minute mark he began nervously tapping his foot against the floor. Chris, from his spot in the back corner behind a rather large beam, was just barely able to see his leg spasm beneath the table.

                At the twenty minute mark, Mr. Big Eyes, Soulful Voice began apologizing to his waitress while still sticking to the story that the guy he’s supposed to be meeting must be running late. By then people started secretly glancing at him, pity painting some of their faces.

                And now, around half an hour after the guy was supposed to be here, Mr. Big Eyes, Soulful Voice is finally somewhat accepting defeat, leaning back in his chair and playing with his ripped and crumpled napkin in front of him.

                “I’m going to do something,” Chris repeats again, wringing his hands nervously.

                “You’ve been saying that for twenty minutes,” Ashley deflects.

                “Yeah, but this time I mean it.”

                Chris begins to stand up—still covered from most of the restaurant by the giant beam blocking his table—and goes to push his chair in.

                “Chris!” Ashley whisper screams.

                “I feel bad for him!” Chris defends.

                “Our meal is going to be here soon!” Ashley replies.

                Chris flicks his eyes between his best friend and Mr. Big Eyes, Soulful Voice for a few seconds before standing straight.

                “Have them box my stuff. I’ll pay you back for dinner tonight.”

                Chris walks away from Ashley, his heart beating fast, and makes his way to the back exit. He walks fast, wanting to be sure that he can pull his plan off before Mr. Big Eyes, Soulful Voice leaves the restaurant. He makes his way back to the front of the building and open up the door, walking swiftly to where the guy is sitting.

                “Oh my god, honey, I’m so sorry I’m late!” he exhales, cheeks bright red in embarrassment. It’s then that he realizes that he really doesn’t have a plan at all; he just wanted to save this stranger from the embarrassment of being stood up in front of dozens of nosy patrons.

                He plops down in the chair across from the guy and leans forward.

                “I’m Chris. Just go with it, yeah?” Chris says, eyes wide and hand shaking as he takes a sip of the complimentary water that’s in front of him. It’s warm having been sitting there for half an hour, but it still helps to sooth his nerves a bit having something to hold.

                “Chris, what took you so long?” the guy asks, rather loudly and slowly.

                From his tone of voice Chris can tell that this guy is completely behind whatever it is that Chris is doing. Without having to look, Chris can tell that everyone is watching them.

                “My phone died and I had to help my mom carry furniture…” he says, voice pitched high like a question.

                “Oh right, I forgot she was moving today,” the guy responds, nodding.

                “Yes. She’s moving. But she’s all moved now. Anyway, I ate food with her. So I’m not really hungry anymore. Wanna jet?”

                “Yes,” the guy says immediately, standing up and grabbing his phone. He shoves it in his front pocket and takes his wallet out, throwing a twenty on the table. He didn’t order anything—Chris and Ashely actually debated sending food over to him while he was waiting—so Chris assumes it’s just a generous tip for the waitress.

                They practically run out of the restaurant together, the guy leading the way all the way down the strip mall until he walks around the corner of a food store and collapses against the wall.

                “That was the most embarrassing night of my life,” he laments, putting his palms against his eyes.

                “I hope I didn’t overstep?” Chris replies. “I was with my friend in the back, and…”

                “And you felt bad for the guy who was totally being stood up but refused to believe it?”

                “Basically,” Chris says, grimacing a little.

                “Thanks,” the guy responds. “I guess it ended a whole lot less awkwardly than it could have.”

                Chris doesn’t really know what to say, so he just nods his head. He feels his phone vibrate in his pocket and when he pulls it out, it’s a text from Ashley.

                _Dude, I think that actually worked!_

                He lifts his phone up to Mr. Big Eyes, Soulful Voice to show him.

                “Uhm, my friend thinks we pulled it off,” he says.

                The guy looks at the phone and cracks a smile—albeit a self-deprecating one.

                “How did this become my life?” he asks no one in particular.

                Chris nibbles on his lip and puts his phone away, not really having an answer for the guy. He watches him for a second, noticing that he actually looks a whole lot younger up close. He looks closer to Chris’ age than he and Ashley thought. He’s also much shorter than Chris expected.

                “I’m Darren, by the way.” The guy offers his hand, and Chris shakes it. “So this might sound sort of unorthodox, but there’s an ice cream place across the street. I feel like I sort of owe you something for saving my ass back there.”

                “You really don’t,” Chris replies, putting his hands in his pocket.

                “I really do,” Darren says. “Also, I feel like I deserve ice cream, and it’s a whole lot less pathetic to be eating three scoops of ice cream when I’m hanging out with someone than if I went there alone. And I think I’ve filled my ‘pathetic’ quota already tonight.”

                Chris still has Ashley he has to get back to. He had sort of assumed that she’d get their meals to go and they’d head back to Chris’ place to eat and watch a movie. He already made her go along with his little plan to save this stranger, so he doesn’t particularly want to ditch her on top of that. But he also feels completely bad for this guy. Plus, getting some free ice cream won’t take too long, he assumes.

                “Sure. Let me just text my friend,” he says, pulling his phone out again.

**He wants to buy me ice cream as a thank you? We’ll be across the street. Wanna come?**

                _No. He’s cute, he likes guys, and apparently he’s probably single._

                Chris gulps loudly and pockets his phone, following Darren across the parking lot and to the crosswalk.

                “So, about tonight…” Darren says.

                “What about it?” Chris asks, walking next to Darren when the light turns green.

                “I feel like I sort of owe you an explanation.”

                “You don’t. At all. I mean, you’re buying me ice cream. I don’t need an explanation on top of that,” he says, offering up a small smile.

                Darren chuckles softly as they get in line at the small, shop front ice cream stand.

                “Fair enough. Though I will say that he’s a terrible person anyway, and I was holding onto some sort of hope that he would change. I deleted his number in the restaurant. So three scoops of ice cream later and I will officially be over him.”

                “That’s all it takes? Three scoops of ice cream?” Chris grins.

                “Ice cream cures all woes,” Darren replies, taking a step forward as the line begins to move.

                “I wish I got that memo. I could have saved myself a lot of heartache,” Chris says.

                “It’s a good thing you met me then. I’ve enlightened you.”

                Chris laughs. “Yes, with the power of ice cream.”

                When they get up to the front of the line, Darren does indeed order three scoops of ice cream: coffee, moose tracks, and mint chocolate chip. Chris gets a waffle cone with chocolate chip cookie dough, and right when he takes his wallet out to pay, Darren pushes him aside with his hip and hands over some cash.

                “Yeah, right,” he tells Chris, rolling his eyes.

                “What?!” Chris says in a high pitched voice. “I was trying to buy you break up ice cream! It cures all woes!”

                Darren laughs as he takes his change, putting all of it in the tip jar. When he turns to face Chris his cheeks are red and his eyes are squinted in happiness.

                “I have to admit, I don’t even think I need the ice cream anymore.”

                “And why is that?” Chris asks, taking a bite of his ice cream and chewing up some delicious cookie dough.

                “Because what started out as a really shitty night has actually turned into a pretty good one.”

                They hang out for another hour, sitting at one of the picnic tables and trading stories. They don’t talk about the guy who stood Darren up—never even mention the situation at all. Darren convinces Chris to try coffee ice cream, something Chris has never had due to his aversion to coffee, and Chris pushes Darren into doing a hand stand after Darren swears up and down that he can hold a hand stand for over a minute.

                When they finally wear out their welcome at the small ice cream stand, they make their way back to the restaurant’s parking lot where both of their cars are and offer up small smiles.

                “So, on a scale of one to ten,” Darren says, standing just a few inches away from Chris as they lean against Chris’ car, “how likely am I to get your phone number?”

                “I don’t know,” Chris responds coyly. “On a scale from one to ten, how likely are you to actually use it?”

                “Hmmm. I don’t know. Probably a six?” Darren replies sarcastically, scrunching up his nose in contemplation. “It would have been an eight, but you’ve never watched _The Legend of Korra_.”

                Chris lightly hits Darren’s chest. He’s not able to stop the smile that bubbles up brightly.

                “I told you that in confidence!” He laughs.

                “I just don’t know if I can be friends with someone who lies to people about watching the best show ever.”

                Chris lightly pushes him away, cheeks red hot and eyes sparkling.

                “I can assure you, I’m a great friend.”

                “Yeah yeah yeah. That’s what they all say. How about this: you give me your number and I _promise_ to use it, but only if you promise to actually watch the show.”

                Chris pretends to mull it over for a bit.

                “Fine,” he says, pulling his phone out and typing the password in before handing it to Darren.

                “Really, this is the best decision you’ve ever made,” Darren says. “This show will rock your world.”

                They part ways a few minutes later, both of them rather awkwardly trying to decide if they should hug or handshake or just wave. They settle on waving.

                A week later finds them making out on Darren’s couch while _The Legend of Korra_ plays in the background.

                “This so isn’t what I meant when I said I wanted you to watch the show,” Darren groans as Chris kisses down his throat.

                “Shut up,” Chris says from his position on top of Darren. “I’m enjoying this.”

                “Okay,” Darren whines. “Shutting up now.”

               

**Author's Note:**

> That nice magical box right there is meant for comments!
> 
> Rebloggable on [Tumblr](http://magsforya.tumblr.com/post/126262751659/mr-big-eyes-soulful-voice)


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